the chief end of man

Tuesday, November 26, 2013 (7:14 a.m.)

Holy Father God,

Two days ago we were talking together about the chief end of man. Pouring over the referenced verses of The Westminster Shorter Catechism I find I have far more questions than answers as to what I believe and why.

What do I believe? “Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” Why do I believe it? It's what I was taught growing up in The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. Do I still believe this? Yeah. I do.

Reading the referenced verses as to what is the chief end of man, has led me to the next question of the catechism. “What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?” The answer listed is, “The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, [a] is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him. [b]”

Thus it seems the two aspects of my chief end each day are: [a] glorify You and [b] enjoy You forever. Looking up the referenced verses I started feeling the dread of following all the rules You set forth in Your commandments. I know how flawed I am. I know how easily I make mistakes. The list is too long. There's too great a margin of error.

Then I remembered the religious leaders who were trying to trap Jesus with their questions. When asked which of the commandments is the most important, “Jesus replied, 'The one that says, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only God. And you must love Him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.” 'The second is: “You must love others as much as yourself.” No other commandments are greater than these'” (Mark 12:29-31).

I am not saying that I can ever hope to do this perfectly. I am thanking You however for breaking it down for me! Know that You are one. Love You. Love others. Which puts me back into the circle of learning what love is (1Corinthians 13:4-7) and not only loving much but well (Philippians 1:9 The Message).

Father God, thank You. Thank You for time together. Thank You for time to consider all that You have for us to enjoy. Work in me that I would truly come to glorify You and to enjoy You, not just this day but forever.

Thank You Father. I love You. Amen.

(418 words ~ 8:06 a.m.)